Self-closing buckle



\N o Model.)

B. P. & P. A. SMITH. SELF CLOSING BUCKLE.

No. 557,903. PatentedApr. 7, 1896.

WITNESSES INVENTORS Au DREW B GRAKAM. mu-ro-umawnsnmmmn c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDIVIN F. SMITH AND FRANK A. SMITH, OF UNION CITY, CONNECTICUT.

SELF-CLOSING BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,903, dated April 7', 1896.

Application filed November 15, 1895. Serial No. 569,060. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWIN F. SMITH and FRANK A. SM1TH,citizens of the United States, residing at Union City, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Closing Buckles; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention has for its object to produce a buckle so constructed that when the tonguepiece is released it will at once return to the closed position and remain there until sufficient pressure is exerted in movingthe tonguepiece to the open position to overcome the self-closing action which is inherent in our novel tongue-piece, the buckle as a whole being neat and attractive in appearance, practically impossible to get out of repair, and simple and inexpensive to produce. \Vith these ends in view we have devised the novel buckle of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, letters and numbers being used to designate the several parts.

Figures 1, 4, and 5 are views illustrating slightly-different forms in which we have carried our invention into effect, the three forms difiering only in details of construction which do not affect the principle of the invention; Fig. 2, a reverse view corresponding with Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a section on the line a: w in Fig. 1; Figs. 6, 9, and 12 are views corresponding, respectively, with Figs. 1, 4, and 5, illustrating the blanks from which the cross-pieces are formed; Fig. 7, a view of a buckle-frame adapted to be used in connection with the form of cross-piece blank illustrated in Fig. 9; Fig. 8, a section of a buckle-frame on the line y y in Fig. 7 and also of the corresponding cross-piece, showing the manner in which the two parts are locked together, the tonguepiece being omitted; Fig. 10, a view of a buckle-frame adapted to be used in connection with the form of cross-piece blank illustrated in Fig. 12; Fig. 11, a section on the line 22 in Fig. 10 and Fig. 13 is a section on the line 8 s in Fig. 4.

Our buckle consists, essentially, of a frame A, a cross-piece B, and a spring tongue-piece C. The frame is made from a blank of wire, ordinarily flattened, and is provided at its opposite ends with inwardly-extending hubs 1, one of said hubs being formed from the middle of the blank and the other hub from the two ends of the blank, as clearly shown in Figs. '7 and 10. The tongue-piece is formed from a blank of spring-wire, the central portion of said blank forming an operating-lever 2, which may be turned outward at an angle to the tongues 3, as in Figs. 1 and 2, may extend downward from the tongues, as in Fig. 4, or may be turned upward and lie between the tongues, as in Fig. 5. The cross-piece is formed from a blank of sheet metal, and is provided with two oblique slots 4, through which the tongues pass, and on its sides with notches 5, which, when the parts are assembled, together form an opening through which the operating-lever passes. (See Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5.)

In assembling, the tongues 3 are passed through the oblique slots 4 in the sheet-metal blank, and the cross-piece B is formed by curving said blank and causing the ends to meet, the ends of the cross-piece engaging and being supported by the hubs 1 upon the frame.

In order to give additional strength to the completed buckle and to lock the frame and cross-piece rigidly together, we ordinarily provide either the frame or the cross-piece with suitable locking-lugs and the other part with notches or recesses to receive said lugs.

- In Fig. 7 we have shown the hubs as provided with recesses 7 and the cross-piece blank corresponding therewith (see Fig. 9) as provided with lugs 6, formed by slitting the edges of the blank.

In assembling, lugs 6 are turned down into recesses 7, as clearly shown in Fig. 8, thereby locking the cross-piece and frame rigidly to gether.

Another mode of locking the cross-piece and frame together is illustrated in Figs. 10, 11, and 12. In this form the edge of the blank is provided with notches 8 and the central portion of the blank in line with said notches with openings 10, and hubs 1 upon the frame are provided on opposite sides with lugs 9. In assembling, the lugs upon one side of the hubs are passed through openings 10 in the blank, the lugs upon the opposite side of the hubs lying in notches 8 after the blank has been curved about the hubs, each of said notches being adaptedto receive one-half of one of the lugs.

The operation of our novel buckle is precisely the same in all of the forms, the selfclosing feature being produced by the engagement of the sides of the tongues with the walls of the oblique slots. This action will be clear- 1y understood from Fig. 13 in connection with Fig. 4. In Fig. 13 tongues 3 are shown in section in the closed positionthat is, as in Fig. l. hen the operator opens the buckle, the tongues are forced to travel along the walls of the oblique slots. This forces the tongues inward toward each other against the resiliency of the wire itself, the points of the tongues moving inward from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 13 to substantially the position shown in dotted lines in said figure. The instant the operator releases the tonguepiece, however, the resiliency of the wire from which it is formed will cause the tongues to travel downthe inclines instantly, so that the tongue piece will resume its normal position, as in Fig. 4c. lVe are thus enabled to produce a peri'ectly-reli able and durable self-closing buckle without the use of springs by forming the tongue-piece from spring-wire and causing the tongues themselves to travel in the oblique slots when moving from the open to the closed positions, and vice versa.

The direction of inclination of the slots is of course immaterial so far as the principle of our invention is concerned. In Figs. 6, 9,

12, and 13 we have shown in full lines the slots inclined in such a manner that the tongues will be forced inward toward each other when the tongue-piece is moved to the open position. By inclining the slots in the opposite direction, as indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 6, 9,

and 12, the tongues would of course be forced apart when the tongue-piece was moved to the open position. The spring action in throwing the tongue-piece to the closed position the instant it is released is the same in both cases.

Having thus described our invention, we claim 1. A buckle consisting of a frame having hubs upon its inner side, a spring tongue-piece consisting of tongues and an operating-lever and a cross-piece having oblique slots through which the tongues pass and an opening through which the operating-lever passes, the

walls of said slots acting to spring the tongues when they are moved to the open position so that the instant the operating-lever is released the resiliency of the tongues will return the tongue-piece to its normal position.

2. The combination with a buckle-frame having hubs upon its inner side and a crosspieee engaging said hubs and provided with oblique slots, of a spring tongue-piece carried by the cross-piece and having tongues lying in the oblique slots, so that the tongues will be sprung when the cross-piece is moved to the open position and the resiliency of the tongues will re turn the ton gue-piece to its normal position the instant it is released.

The combination with a buckle-frame having hubs upon its inner side and a crosspiece having oblique slots, of a tongue-piece having tongues passing through said slots and means substantially as described and shown for locking the frame and cross-piece together.

In testimony whereof we aiiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

EDW'IN F. SMITH. FRANK A. SMITH. Vitnesses:

J OHN M. SWEENEY, IDA L. LLEwELLYN. 

